Standard Lemma guide

inimical

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪˈnɪ.mɪ.kəl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N IH1 M IH0 K AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Harmful in effect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Unfriendly, hostile.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Her inimical attitude precludes romance.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

not friendly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an unfriendly act of aggression
  • an inimical critic

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unfriendly

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Late Latin inimīcālis (“hostile”), from inimīcus (“enemy”) (from in- (“not”) + amīcus (“friend”)) + -ālis.

Across languages

Translations

47 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Basque: kaltegarri — harmful
  • Bulgarian: вреден (vreden) — harmful
  • Bulgarian: неблагоприятен (neblagoprijaten) — harmful
  • Dutch: schadelijk — harmful
  • French: nuisible — harmful
  • German: schädlich — harmful
  • Greek: επιζήμιος (epizímios) — harmful
  • Hindi: अहित (ahit) — harmful
  • Hindi: अपकारी (apkārī) — harmful
  • Hindi: हानिकारक (hānikārak) — harmful
  • Hindi: अहितकर (ahitkar) — harmful
  • Kazakh: зиянды (ziändy) — harmful
  • Polish: szkodliwy — harmful
  • Russian: вре́дный (vrédnyj) — harmful
  • Spanish: nocivo — harmful
  • Spanish: adverso — harmful
  • Swedish: skadlig — harmful
  • Ukrainian: шкідли́вий (škidlývyj) — harmful
  • Basque: etsai — hostile
  • Bulgarian: враждебен (vraždeben) — hostile
  • Bulgarian: недоброжелателен (nedobroželatelen) — hostile
  • Chinese Mandarin: 有敵意的 /有敌意的 (yǒu díyì de) — hostile
  • Dutch: vijandig — hostile
  • Esperanto: malamika — hostile
  • French: hostile — hostile
  • German: feindlich — hostile
  • German: feindselig — hostile
  • German: unfreundlich — hostile
  • Greek: εχθρικός (echthrikós) — hostile
  • Hindi: अहित (ahit) — hostile
  • Hindi: अपकारी (apkārī) — hostile
  • Kazakh: дұшпандық (dūşpandyq) — hostile
  • Latin: alienus — hostile
  • Latin: inimicalis — hostile
  • Manx: neuchaarjoil — hostile
  • Polish: nieprzyjazny — hostile
  • Polish: wrogi — hostile
  • Polish: złowrogi — hostile
  • Russian: недружелю́бный (nedruželjúbnyj) — hostile
  • Russian: вражде́бный (vraždébnyj) — hostile
  • Spanish: hostil — hostile
  • Spanish: inimicísimo (disused) — hostile
  • Spanish: enemigo — hostile
  • Swedish: fientlig — hostile
  • Ukrainian: недру́жній (nedrúžnij) — hostile
  • Ukrainian: непри́язний (neprýjaznyj) — hostile
  • Ukrainian: воро́жий (voróžyj) — hostile